The A-to-Z of Yeovil's History

by Bob Osborn

quaker meeting house

quaker meeting
house

Kingston

The Society of
Friends, or
Quakers, had met
in Henry Lavor’s
house in Yeovil
in 1654, and had
established a
burial ground in
Preston Road in
1669. In 1688 a
house and garden
in Kingston,
shown on the map
below, was
purchased for
use as a meeting
house, on a site
now occupied by
Yeovil District
Hospital.

Church
Congregations
From the
Ecclesiastic
Survey,
March
1851

St
John's

614

Holy
Trinity,
Peter
Street

550

Congregational
(now
United
Reformed),
Princes
Street

530

Baptist,
South
Street

300

Methodist,
Middle
Street

250

Calvinist
Baptist,
Tabernacle
Lane

190

Brethren
Hall,
Vicarage
Street

93

Quaker
Meeting
House,
Kingston

8

In March 1930
under the
heading "The
Quakers in
Yeovil - A
Townsman's
Reminiscences"
the Western
Gazette
published a
contribution
from a Yeovilian
signing himself
'Ivel' who
described the
Quaker Meeting
House in
Kingston as
follows -

"Up to half a
century ago it
is recorded that
the Quakers met
for worship
regularly
locally. The
first chapel is
dated from 1690
and was built in
Kingston.
Evidently
meetings were
held previous to
this date,
probably in some
Quaker's house
before the
erection of the
meeting-house,
as a stone in
the wall of the
Friends Burial
Ground in
Preston Road,
records the fact
that in 1669
provision was
made for the
burial of
members of their
sect. (In fact
Quaker meetings
were first held
in Yeovil in
1654, fifteen
years earlier
than the date on
the wall of the
burial ground).

Half a century
ago, as I
remember it, the
chapel was
situated in
Kingston
opposite
York Place,
on a site now
forming a drive
and lawn to Mrs
Moore's house in
Higher Kingston.
Judging by its
style and
condition at
that time, one
is led to form
the opinion that
it was the
original
building erected
in 1690. It was
a small, square
building of
rough Ham stone,
with a thatched
roof. The
exterior was
partially
covered with ivy
and jasmine,
presenting the
appearance of an
old-fashioned
country cottage.
The windows, two
in number, were
in the frontage
of the building,
set a little
lower than the
roof. This
interesting
feature of their
position
suggests that it
was for the
purpose of
preventing
curiously minded
persons from
witnessing their
simple
devotions.

The interior of
the building was
plain and bare
of any artistic
decoration. The
walls were
whitewashed, the
pews high-backed
and cushionless.
Writing from
memory, fifty
persons would
have severely
taxed the
seating
accommodation
provided for the
congregation.
The building
stood about
fifteen yards
from the public
pathway,
enclosed by iron
gates similar to
those in
existence at the
present time.
The present
writer vividly
remembers his
first and only
attendance at
one of the
services. My
aunt was at this
time the
caretaker and
cleaner of the
chapel, my
cousin and I
used to relieve
her of the
Sunday morning
dusting of the
pews. One Sunday
morning
curiosity
prompted me as a
youngster, to
witness the
conduct of the
service. The
congregation
consisted of
about eight
persons. After a
long silence the
Spirit moved a
sailor who was
present to
engage in
prayer. After
this long lapse
of time, I can
still visualise
the
'quarter-deck'
shouting and
'sawing the
air'. His
vehemence of
speech created a
state of fright
to my young
mind.

At the rear of
the chapel was a
paint shop and
stores used by
Mr C Foot who, I
believe, still
lives in
Kingston.

The caretaker's
lodge, a low
thatched
cottage, stood
inside the
gates, on the
right-hand side
of the path
leading to the
meeting-house.
Adjoining this
were several
small cottages
facing the old
White Lion Inn.
These also had
thatched roofs.
The small front
gardens were
enclosed within
wooden railings.
At present, four
brick houses
occupy the
original site of
the cottages. If
my memory serves
me correctly,
the chapel and
cottages were
pulled down in
1879.

I have also a
recollection of
seeing the last
burial take
place in the
Friends Burial
Ground. I
believe it was
Mr W (sic - see
note below)
Hannam, a leader
of the Quakers
in those days,
who found his
last resting
place there in
or about the
year 1879. He
was a partner of
a Mr Gillett,
carrying on the
ironmongery
business in High
Street, now in
the occupation
of Messrs Hill &
Sawtell."

Note: In fact
Josiah Hannam
retired and
moved to
back to his
birthplace,
Gillingham,
where he had
business
interests and
where he died in
the winter of
1874, aged 77.
He was
buried in
Gillingham.

MAP

The 1858 map
of Yeovil
showing the
Quaker Meeting
House at centre,
shaded black and
numbered '7'.
The caretaker's
cottage, as
described above,
is to the right
of the path to
the chapel and
the row of
cottages that
were also
demolished in or
around 1879 are
also shown

gallery

The photograph
above, taken
around 1965,
looks south down
Kingston towards
Princes Street
and is taken
from just about
outside the
Duke
of York. Just
behind the car
at right is the
White Lion with
its sign visible
above the car
and at the end
of the street
the Red Lion
stands in front
of the last
tree. At extreme
right is Sylvia
Perrett's
antique shop (on
the corner of
York Place). The
three-storey
building to the
left of the tree
left of centre
is the former
Yeovil County
School. The
row of four
houses, at left
and behind the
parked van, mark
the site of the
Quaker Meeting
House, the
caretaker's
cottage and the
row of small
thatched
cottages that
were all pulled
down in or
around 1879.

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